peterson



May l, 1956 J. F. PETERSON ADJUSTABLE DISPLAY BASKET Filed Oct. 4, 1954 2 b a 2 m m m 6 8 m 9 2 2 F it I 2 W M 2 W .n 2 2 M 4 .V m H. x" 0 .kf 3 NI 2 a a 3 2 /A 2 m F Nv MS TR NE ET VE WP F. S E M A J FlG.6

A TTOR/VE VS ADJUSTABLE DISPLAY BASKET James F. Peterson, Eugene, Oreg., assignor to N. & P. En-

terprises, Inc., Eugene, Oreg., a corporation of @regen Application October 4, 1954, Serial No. 460,110

2 Claims. (Cl. 2206) sible, readily noticeable position so as to promote the Y sales thereof. The principal object of the present invention is to provide such a display basket in which a plurality of articles are supported upon an adjustable bottom-forming frame whereby the articles may be raised to convenient height from time to time as the supply thereof is depleted.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a display basket of the foregoing character which may be easily and inexpensively formed by the use of relatively simple machinery.

' A further object of the present invention is to provide a display basket of the foregoing character which may be shipped in collapsed condition, or stored when not in use in the least possible space, thereby lessening the cost of the basket to the user, and permitting the storage of a convenient number thereof when not in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the foregoing character which may be quickly set up for use, and which is prevented from collapsing when in use, yet which may be readily collapsed for storage.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a device wherein the operation of raising the adjustable bottom-forming frame is facilitated.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention may be more readily ascertained from inspection of the accompanying drawings, taken in connection with the following specification, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which a preferred form of the invention is illustrated and described.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a view, in perspective, of a basket formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detail view of a keyhole slot member embodied in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modified form of keyhole slot member; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are schematic views illustrating the utility of the invention.

The display basket formed in accordance with the present invention comprises four upright, quadrilateral frames which are hingedly interconnected along their upright edges. In the preferred form of the invention the frames are of substantially equal dimensions whereby an upright enclosure of substantially rectangular cross-section is provided. Preferably there are two types of upright frames, the two main wall frames indicated at and located as an opposed pair, and the side wall 2,743,838 Patented May l, 1956 frame indicated at 11, of which there is an opposed pair, the frames 11 being interposed between the frames 10. Each of the frames' 10 comprises a peripheral wire 12 of large size which is so formed as to provide a horizontal top portion 13, a pair of vertical portions 14, and a lower portion including a pair of ground engaging stirrups 15 and a raised, central portion 16. The stirrups 15 are adjacent the corners of the basket so as to provide supporting feet, and the raised portion 16 not only provides clearance for the toes of pass'ersby but stifens the construction. A plurality of heavy gauge crosswires 17 are butt-welded between the vertical portions 14, so as to provide a rigid frame, and a plurality of upright wires 1S are welded to the crosswires 17 to complete the frame 10. The wires 18 are welded to each of the wires 17 at each of their intersections', so as to provide a rigid structure, and the wires 18 are placed inside of the wires 17 so as to provide unobstructed vertical guides. The wires 18 are welded to the upper and lower cross-members 13 and 17, respectively, and cut olf with their ends preferably below and above the respective upper and lower surfaces' thereof. Since there would be jagged ends of the wires 18 exposed at the upper edges of the basket, a rod 19 is soldered or welded along the upper surfaces thereof and the upper surface of the portion 13 so as to provide a smoothly rounded, reinforced upper edge for the basket and thus protect customers from being scratched.

Each of the frames 11 comprises a plurality of horizontal crosswires 2l) and a plurality of vertical wires 21, the crosswires and vertical wires being welded to each other at each of their intersections to form a rigid frame, and the wires 21 being placed inside of the crosswires 20 so as to present an unobstructed interior surface. Again, a top bar 23 is welded to the upper crosswire 20 to cover the jagged ends of the wires 21. The end of each crosswire 20 is formed into an eye 22 embracing the upright portion 14 of the frame 10 whereby the frames are pivotally connected at their vertical edges. The lower and intermediate eyes 22 rest upon the crosswires 17 so that the vertical relationship of the frames 10 and 11 is maintained. Preferably the upper wire 20 is bent downwardly adjacent the eye 22, and the eye 22 is positioned beneath the upper portion 13 whereby the rod 23 may lie in substantially the same plane as the rod 19 and the frames are prevented from shifting vertically with respect to each other. Preferably each of the frames is slightly larger at the top than at the bottom whereby the enclosure progressively increases a slight amount toward the top so that the movable bottom frame may be readily raised and lowered.

The bottom of the basket is provided by a bottomforming frame comprising a heavy, peripheral wire 24 formed into substantially rectangular shape, and a plurality of parallel wires 2S welded at their ends to opposite portions of the peripheral wire 24. The outline of the bottom-forming frame is substantially that of the enclosure when set up in proper shape, and the area covered thereby is' slightly less than the cross-sectional area of the least portion of the upright enclosure adjacent the lower wires 17 and 20 whereby the bottom-forming frame may be adjustably raised and lowered, and whereby the bottom-forming frame prevents the enclosure from collapsing upon itself due to persons leaning thereagainst.

The bottom-forming frame is supported 'oy a plurality of suspension means, each of which comprises a chain 26 attached to a corner of the bottom-forming frame by means of a wire connector 27, and a keyhole slot member 28 which is soldered or welded to the upper rod 19 adjacent an end thereof and directly above the point of at- Vto the level ofthe lower:set of Wires 17 and 2i). form of keyhole slot member illustrated-in Fig. 4 there is provided a strip of sheet metal having an upper hookedV pair of upper portions spaced widely apart and a pair Aof Ylower portions comprising the legs of a restricted bight 30'into which theV chain 26 may be slipped sideways toV retain the chain in adjusted position. Each of the chains is preferably provided with a terminal ring 31 or other handle whereby the chain may be readily grasped, and

which is unable to pass through the keyhole slot member,

thereby 4limiting the descent of the bottom-forming frame ln the portion 32 adapted to be wrapped around the upper rod V19 and welded thereto, anda vertical lower portion inV which thereisprovided a keyhole slot 33 Vthrough which the chain passes as previously described.

Preferably'a bent wire 35 is welded to a pair of the up- "f right wires 21 having at least one intervening wire therebetween, whereby to provide a support for a price card 36.

It will be observed froml the foregoing that the chains extend vertically above the srtirrup portions 15 whereby a person may stand on a pair of the stirrup YportionsY 15, grasp both of the'chains or the terminal rings 31 directly above the pair of stirrup portions, and pull upwardlyV and outwardly to raise-one side of the bottom-forming frame. The operation may then be repeated at the opposite side of the basket and so on untilv the frame has been raised to a desired level. Thus, when a pile of articles, indicated at 37, has become depleted so that they are not conveniently accessible, the bottom-forming frame may be raised until the level of the pile again approaches the top of the basket.` Successive positioning of the bottornfrarne to elevate aV depleted pile of goods is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. V

An advantage of the present construction is that the four chains may be slacked oit to permit vthe bottom-forming frame to be positioned upright adiacent one of the frames 10, whereupon the basket may be collapsed Vfor shipment or storage. However, the rings 31 prevent complete separation of the chains from the keyhole slot means so that the parts of the basket may not become separated from each other. n

Having illustrated and described Va preferred embodiment of the invention, itV should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention permits of modiiication in arrangement and detail. l claim as my invention all such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A display basket comprising four quadrilateral, upright, wire frames hingedly connected together along their bottom, said upright Vframes each comprising laterally extending wires and upright wires all welded to each other Vat their intersecting points and having the upright wires yplaced inside of the lateral wires, a rectangular, bottomforming frame having a smooth periphery, and a plurality of suspension means adjustably suspending said bottomforming frame within said enclosure, each of said suspension means comprising a chainattached at one end ,to said bottom-forming frame atV the periphery thereof and a keyhole slotmeans aixed to'the'upper edge' of the respectivelyadjacent upright frame above the point of attachment of the chain to the bottom-forming frame, said chain passing outwardly through said keyhole slot` means and` being'adjustablyretained thereby whereby said bottom-forming framemay be adjustably positioned at various Vheights without removing the contents of the basket, A Vand an opposed pair of said upright frames each com- Vprising Va pair of ground-engaging stirrup means posi-V tioned respectively Vbeneath'a pair of said keyhole slot means and into which the feet of a person may be inserted,A to hold the basket while a pair of saidchains are being pulled upwardly. Y v Y 2. A display basketcomprising four 'quadrilaterah upright, wire frames'hingedly connected together alongrtheir i upright edges to define a collapsible, walled enclosure of rectangular'cross-section and open at its top andat its bottom, said upright' frames each comprising laterally ex- 1 tending wires and upright wires all welded toeach other at their intersecting points and having the upright wires placed inside ofthe lateral wires, a rectangular, bottom- 'Y forming frame having a smoothperiphery, and a plurality upright edges to define a collapsible, Walled enclosure of Y ofsuspension means adjustably suspending said bottomforming frame within said enclosure, each'of said suspension means comprising a chain attached at one end to said bottom-forming frame at the periphery thereof and a keyhole slot means affixed to the upper edge of the respectively adjacent Vupright frame above the ypoint of attachment of the chain to the bottom-fortuin g frame, said chain passing outwardly through said keyhole slot means and being adjustablyV retained thereby whereby said bottom-forming frame may be adjustably positioned at various heights without removing the contents of the basket, an opposed pair of. said upright frames each comprising a pair of ground-engaging stirrup means positioned respectively beneath a pair of said keyhole slot means and into which the feet of a person may beinserted to hold References Cit'edin the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Spiers Nov. 23, 1943 Sloane June 17, 1952 

